After Effects Network Render

Hi there,

I have searched the web high and low, I've checked all the forums and I can't seem to find any form of identical problem, let alone a solution, and it's driven me to the point of anger.

I am attempting to set up a network render for a heavy-duty animation in After Effects. I'm using my Macbook Laptop and an older iMac. I have follwed every instruction and tutorial to the letter and I have created a network 'watch folder' with the correct permissions and double/triple checked my settings. I open After Effects render engine on the iMac and everything goes well until I select the watch folder. First it identifies the project I want to render, then it opens it, but I get a dialogue box stating that my project was created with Mercury Playback Engine, which it hasn't been. I only work with Software Renders and do not rely on Mercury because it's too buggy and I don't really have the leg-room for buggy. Anyway all I can do is click okay, at which point it loads everything into the queue and seems to be beginning the render. Next thing it clears the queue and begins searching the watch folder again, this time not detecting anything and it loops like this until I click cancel.

Out of answers, energy and time - in that order. Please... Anybody... Help...

Thank you all in advance.